


Detours

by PeggyCarters



Category: Blake Shelton (Musician), Gwen Stefani - Fandom, Shefani
Genre: AU, F/M, Lets see where this goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:40:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeggyCarters/pseuds/PeggyCarters
Summary: He meets a Gwen no one really gets to experience but at the same time he misses the Gwen everyone knows. AU.
Relationships: Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani
Comments: 19
Kudos: 37





	Detours

**Author's Note:**

> Blame this story on Prime Video's Modern Love.  
> Hola everyone! This is going to be a two part story and I know that because I have it (almost) finished. I hope you like it.  
> I also hope everyone is safe and sound :)

**2001**

**Spring**

It's not the job of his dreams, not even the city of his dreams but it's what he needs to keep going. He will agree that moving to LA was a spur decision, but the rationale behind it hadn't sounded so bad when he packed and left his home state of Oklahoma. Everyone that wanted an in into the country music scene went to Nashville. There were ten thousand of him in the Tennessee capital, but not as many in sunny California. In fact he felt a bit of an outsider whenever he entered a bar with his guitar in hand and boots on his feet. _We don't play country music here._ This was a constant phrase used by bar owners. So constant that he had gone and made a t-shirt out of it, which he wore as his pajama. 

He had taken off his boots, at least when he went to auditions in bars. He had bought a pair of brown sneakers and had tighter jeans. He felt uncomfortable but if this was the price to pay to get to play guitar and sing a bit every other night, he was in. He had shifted his music a little bit and started auditioning with 80s classics and country ballads, which he had learnt had a bigger appreciation as they didn't sound "too country." This change had landed him a three day a week spot in a bar close to where he lived and worked in the morning. Blake would say that after three first months of complications, LA was starting to feel a little like home. 

His daytime job sucked. Opening doors, carrying in boxes and grocery bags for high class people wasn't his dream life but it paid rather well and he had some free time during the day to sit down and write or just people watch. He hated uniforms but apparently the apartment complex that he worked for had a strict policy about uniforms so he had to suck it up and slide into dress pants, shirt, tie and vest. 

Inspiration is low today. He is on the second verse of a new song but can't seem to find a way to continue. He looks down at his notebook and softly bites on the blue cap of his pen as he thinks what word rhymes with roads. He has been stuck on this specific word of his second verse for an hour now. 

"Fucking roads." He murmurs as he leans back on his chair and lets out a loud sigh. His eyes close for a second as he tries to relax just for a moment. Next thing he hears is the front door open and a female voice fills his ears. 

"No, not yet. It'll get here in an hour maybe. I just wanted to go ahead and start myself." Something about the female voice makes him feel comfortable. 

He sits upright and watches the blonde haired woman pace the hall with a box on her hands. He stands up and walks up to her as she continues to speak on the phone. Blake smiles at her and she does the same back when she understands that he wants to help her with the box. _Thank you_ , she mouths at him. 

Blake stands close by as he holds the box for her and tries to pretend that he's not listening in on the conversation. "Sure, dad, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? No there's no need to help me out, the guys will come around eventually. Love you." She hangs up and slips her phone at the back pocket of her jeans. "Hi, thank you." She turns to look at him, who's still holding the box. 

"No problem. It's what I'm here for." She looks at him as if she didn't understand what he said, "I'm the doorman." 

"Oh." She says looking down at him, "Right, I didn't notice your clothes. Cool, nice." She babbles a bit at the end. "This building has a doorman, wow! Sorry, not used to it. First time living alone. Actually today is moving day, so you might want to leave the door open because the truck should arrive soon." 

"Okay. I'll be here if you need anything." Blake replies as he points at his table by the entrance. The lady walks towards the elevator and then turns around to look at him as she waits for the lift to come. "I'm Gwen. 2A." 

"Blake. Welcome to the building." 

  
  


**Summer**

"How is it possible that you're dressed like this when it's hell outside?" Her voice causes a smile to grow on his face as he reaches to open the front door for her. 

"Believe me, I would be wearing something else if I could." Blake says as he walks up to her to help with the bags she's taking out of the cab. 

She always looks exquisite. He has seen her hair pulled up and down in various different forms and lengths but he has to say that short and free is his favorite one. She's always dressed to kill, he doesn't know much about fashion, but he can see that Gwen takes her appearance very seriously. Today she looks cute. There's something that screams young and free about her summerly dress and it fits perfectly with today's summer day. 

"You know I can do it myself, right?" She teases him as they walk side by side to the door where he lets her go in first. 

"I know." He assures her with a soft look on his face, "but it's my job and if my mum were here she would pat my butt if I didn't help you." 

She throws him a smile and then says goodbye when the elevator arrives. 

  
  


**Autumn**

He sees her come in alone, with her parents, with friends and even a guy every other night. It's always the same one so he thinks that Gwen might have gotten herself a boyfriend or a close guy friend. He won't be one to judge but he feels a little jealous every time that mystery guy walks inside, leaves the door open and doesn't even greet him. 

He would say that his relationship with Gwen had been growing towards a small friendship. Maybe calling her a friend was pushing it, but they definitely weren't strangers either. Their conversations got longer but never too deep.

"You know," Her voice fills his ears and his head immediately turns to see her come out of the elevator. "I don't know you, Blake." 

"What do you mean?" He asks standing up to meet her in the middle of the hall. 

"That I see you more than I see my parents and I only know your name. I assume you’re from somewhere south-"

"Oklahoma." 

"See, I wasn't wrong." She smiles at him as she adjusts her cardigan. "But like, why are you here?" 

"Here where?" 

"LA?" 

"Why are _you_ here?" He asks her. 

"I work here." 

"So do I." He says slipping his hands inside his pockets. "I wanted a change of scenery. LA sounded like a good idea. I wanted to-" 

The door opening interrupts his little speech. "I thought you were supposed to open doors." A british accent fires at Blake who tries to control himself as he just nods. 

"Gavin!" Gwen exclaims, embarrassed by the comment. 

"I'm sorry." Blake apologises to the man and then turns to walk back to his table. 

"Blake, I-" She starts but then Gavin interrupts her when he crashes his lips against hers intensely. “Gav- not here.” He doesn’t seem to process her words, because he kisses her again and she ends up giving up as she lazily kisses him back. Before stepping outside, hand in hand, she takes a look at Blake and sees that he is busy checking something out on the computer he has in his small room.   
  


He wouldn’t admit to counting, but it’s been three weeks since he hasn’t seen her boyfriend come around at night or during the day. She appears tired lately, even a bit sad and she doesn’t stay long to speak with him. Some days she just says a little _hello_ and immediately walks to the elevator. It’s weird seeing her walk in and not staying for some minutes to exchange some words or small stories with him. They never get personal, but he would say it’s his favourite part of the day; when she comes down and leaves for work and then comes back. 

One afternoon one of the apartment owners keeps him busy until late and he has to call his flatmate to bring him a change of clothes and his guitar since it’s his night slot at the bar closeby. The neighbour of 4A gives him a 50$ note as a tip and Blake offers to help him out if he needs anything else some other day. 

When he gets back to the entrance hall, he gets his bag and changes to casual clothes, jeans and a plaid shirt. When he’s walking out of the small room by the elevator, she spots her walking in. 

“Blake, nice to see you actually own clothes.” She teases as she closes the front door behind her. He chuckles and walks over to her. “Why are you still here?” 

“Graham from 4A needed a hand with something.” He explains as he comes to stand before her. 

“Oh, so if I need some help after hours I can let you know?” He knows she’s teasing, so he continues the roleplay.

“For you, I’ll even do it for free.” 

She bites the inside of her cheek, "Don't say it too loud. I don't want the neighbours getting jealous of the special treatment." 

His dimples pop on his face as he looks down at her. She had been quiet lately, so having her be playful and laughing felt really great. "You okay?" He doesn't know why he asks but it's too late to take it back now. 

"Yeah, I'm okay." She assures him after she takes a deep breath. 

"Haven't seen your boyfriend in a while." It's really not his place to say and he would completely understand if she runs away, but she doesn't. Instead, she stays. 

"Yeah, ah- We broke up." She doesn't elaborate and he doesn't push to learn more. It really isn't his place so he just nods and looks down at the gym bag on his hands. "I'll let you go. Nice talking to you." He wants to tell her that it's okay, that he doesn't mind having more of her time, in fact, it's his favourite part of the day. 

"I'll see you, Gwen." He walks past her and drops the bag with his work clothes on the chair in his work space. He grabs his guitar case and then walks out and closes the wooden door behind him.

"You play guitar?" Her voice fills his ears again. 

He turns to find her taking a step towards him as the elevator doors close unforgotten behind her, "I do."

"That's so rad." Blake chuckles at her choice of words, "You should play for me some time." 

His eyes grow in surprise as she nods at her once, "Sure, yeah." 

"Do you play somewhere?" She asks. 

"At this bar a couple of blocks down." He puts the guitar case down when it starts to get heavy. "Normally I go home to change but today Graham kept me busy. I play there three times a week." 

"You're a box of surprises, Blake." 

"Why, cos I play the guitar?" He teases lightly and she shakes her head letting out a small laugh. 

"You sing as well?" 

"Little bit." He would actually say that he is a better singer than a guitar player. "I mean, I do sing. I consider myself a better singer than guitar player to be honest." 

She listens carefully to what he is saying as she imagines how he must sound and look up on a stage. "Can I come to see you play?" 

"Now?" The high pitch voice makes her chuckle. 

"Yeah, now. I mean if it's okay with you. I don't have anything to do aside from opening a bottle of wine and drinking it while I watch Friends reruns." 

He presses his lips together and nods, "Yeah, sure. Okay." 

Suddenly he feels nervous. 

He explains that the bar is actually 15 minutes away walking and not a couple of blocks down. At first, walking alongside him is quiet but nice, the silence doesn't become weird, on the contrary, it's almost comfortable. 

"So, uhm," He breaks the quietness between them, "How's your week going?" The question almost makes her want to let out a small chuckle. 

She thinks of ways to reply without letting out much information. He clearly doesn't know who she is and she would like to keep it that way because for the first time in a long while, someone wants to casually speak to her just because and not because she is who she is. "Well, it's only Tuesday" Blake chuckles, "but so far so good." She explains as she tilts her head to look at him as they walk down the street. "I'm going to be out of town for two weeks for work." 

"Cool, where are you going?" He asks, changing the guitar case from one hand to the other. 

"Various cities on the east coast. I have some-" She presses her lips together trying to think of what to do next, "meetings and a couple company events to attend." 

"Sounds like you have an important job."

She wouldn't exactly call it an important job, but he doesn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to realise that she has a steady high income. Her building is located in an upper class district of Los Angeles, he knows that much. "Yeah, I do alright." She smiles at him. 

"Can I ask what you do? I think it might be something fashion related, you always look so-" He stops himself for a moment when he realises that maybe he is crossing an invisible line, "very stylish." 

Gwen lets out a short breath she didn't know she was holding and then nods, "Yes, I work for Versace." 

"Oh, I know that one." He is almost proud of himself. "Cool. You must be really good at it."

There's a few seconds of silence until she breaks it this time, "What about you?" 

"Well I definitely didn't dream of opening doors and calling lifts, but I guess it's a good enough job for someone like me that has no studies." 

"What did little Blake want to be when he grew up?" She asks him. 

"He wanted— still wants to be a singer." 

Her breath hitches but she's more excited than ever to see and hear him play. "Singer huh?" She grins at him. 

"Country." 

Gwen chuckles, "Of course." She knows as much of country music as he does of fashion, maybe less.

The place isn't big but it's packed and Gwen starts to get a nervous feeling in her stomach as she takes a look around and pushes up the lapels of her coat to try to hide her face as much as she can. "So, I uhm- Have to go greet someone but I'll be right back." His voice brings her back to reality. "There's a booth back there. " He points at the far right corner of the room. 

"I'll be there. You go do your thing."

"My set starts in twenty minutes but you go ahead and order whatever you want. Tell the bartender my name, it's on me." 

She nods at him, "No, it's okay. I'm not that much of a drinker." 

"Come on, a beer. Just one." He nearly pulls off puppy dog eyes and she laughs at his childish antics. 

"Okay." 

"I'll get it for you." He throws her a dimpled smile before he spins on his feet and leaves. 

She makes her way to the empty booth and then takes a look around the place. It's a nice bar, very LA like but with a southern touch that sure makes Blake feel like home. As she's looking around he spots him by the bar as he leans in closer to whisper something to a woman and she smiles placing a hand on his chest. It's not jealousy that she feels, but she definitely feels something and it's not a positive reaction. She closes her eyes for a second and opens them again to find a bottle of Budweiser on her line of vision. 

"Blake said you'd want one." A female voice makes her look up to meet the waitress for a small second. 

"Yes, thank you." 

"You're welcome." 

A few minutes pass by before she feels someone slide on the vacant chair in front of her. She's almost scared to look up because she is not here to meet people, she just wants to hear him play. 

"Hey." She smiles when she hears his voice. 

She tilts her head up slowly, "Hi." 

"See you got the Bud." He points at the cold bottle of beer. 

"Yes, thank you." She says reaching for the drink. 

"So, I'm gonna go play for about thirty minutes. If you don't like it or you feel like it's getting late you can always leave, I mean- I know what I play is not everyone's cup of tea, so-"

"I'll be here." She cuts him off politely, "I'm excited to see what you do." 

He smiles at her and then runs a hand through his brown curls, "Okay. If you want some company, some of my friends are by the bar, I told them you might come around." 

"Oh," She rubs her palms together, "I uh- okay." She doesn't plan on moving from her seat, but she appreciates the gesture. "Thanks and break a leg."

  
  


She's astonished. She can't really find any world to describe how his voice and overall stage presence is doing to her. He is standing in front of the mic stand, with his guitar hanging off of his body and a cup of something strong on a small stool next to him. Just like that he manages to keep everyone in the room eating from the palm of his hand. She literally cannot take his eyes off of him and she doesn't even try to hide it when his eyes meet hers a few times during his set. 

"Alright, you guys. How is it going?" He speaks into the mic and the small crowd erupts cheering. "Ah, I can see you're having a good time." They cheer again and Blake laughs a little, "Cool well, it's Gabby's turn now but I have one last song for you guys." He readjusts his guitar and then plays two cords on his instrument. "It's an original this time. I know I have never played one of mine before, but I am confident about this one." 

He strums his guitar a few times and then stops and begins to play a soft melody that is rapidly met with his creamy voice. 

_I was gonna keep it real like chill like only have a drink or two_

_But it turned into a party when I started talking to you_

_Now you're standing in the neon looking like a high I wanna be on_

For some reason his eyes land on hers and just like magnets stay on her throughout the entire performance. It's like he enters a second dimension because when the song ends it kind of shocks him that he had sang and played the whole thing without giving it much thought or even checking his guitar to play the right chord. He gulps as his eyes continue to dig into hers and is only brought back to reality when the other attendees start to applaud him. His eyes tear away from her to scan the room which clearly enjoyed his performance and this song specially. 

"Y'all have a good night. Thank you." He bows down and then walks down the two stairs that lead him to the first table, where he told her his friends would be. She sees the girl from before greet him and brightly smile up at him as she tells him something that has Blake grinning from ear to ear. Next thing she knows the woman leans in and presses her lips to his, taking him a bit by surprise as his hands shoot up a little lost. 

She gets that funny feeling on her tummy again and she thinks about leaving. It's quite clear that he will probably not spend the rest of the night with her, so she might just leave all together. She takes the last sip of her beer and then reaches for her folded coat sitting on the chair he had left vacant about thirty minutes ago when he left to play. She's about to stand up when his voice stops her. 

"You leaving?" He asks quietly.

She slowly spins on her feet to meet his eyes, "I uhm-" She stammers, "Yeah, I have an early morning tomorrow and it's quite late." He nods at her even though the look on his face shows disappointment. "You should really pursue music, you were incredible. That song was beautiful." He doesn't know she's saying this because she understands music, lives off of singing and performing. She really hopes that her words wake something up in him and tries to do more than just sing at a small bar in LA. 

"Thank you, Gwen. Thank you for coming, means a lot." He bites his tongue to not tell her that she is the inspiration behind it. Of course it's not their story, they didn't meet at a bar, but he likes to think that she inspired him to write it. "Do you want me to walk you back?" 

"No, you enjoy the night with your friends. Thanks again." She smiles at him and then reaches for her coat again but he beats him to it as he offers to help her put it on. She freezes as he opens the coat for her to slide her arms in and her breath hitches on her throat when his hands briefly touch her shoulders as he adjusts the material. "See you, Blake. "

"Good night." He replies softly as he watches her walk past him and then out the bar. When the door closes and she loses sight of her he releases a breath he didn't know he was holding and then shakes his head softly. _That was weird._

He doesn't see her the following day. Wednesday is the day that he gets in a little later and leaves when the sun has set, so he thinks that maybe she had an early day. The day goes by slowly as he fixes a few things and helps the elderly woman in 1A with her grocery shopping and then he invites him for tea or coffee. It's a recurrent thing and in some ways it brings him back home when he used to visit his grandma after school. 

It isn't until Thursday midday that he sees her. She's carrying a big suitcase and a handbag that has a sleeping pillow hanging off the right side. 

"Ready for the east coast?" He asks when she steps off of the lift. 

She draws a smile on her face and then nods, "I am." Her reply is short and to the point. 

"Nice. I have never been to that side of the country." He explains to not let the silence build to an awkward one. 

Her eyes grow in surprise, "Really?" He nods, "it's so beautiful out there." 

"I'll have to go see for myself then."

"Something tells me you wouldn't like New York." She chuckles, "Too much of a city." 

"More than LA?"

"Definitely." She replies as she tightens her hold on the suitcase. 

"I didn't see you yesterday." He didn't want to mention it, but it's out before he can stop himself. 

"Yeah, ah-" She starts, "I had to go to the office early to prepare everything for the next two weeks." 

"Ah, of course." He looks down at his feet while he thinks about ways to keep the conversation going. "Listen, I-" He gets cuts off when there's a knock on the glass door. A man dressed in a suit waves at Gwen, who tells him he'll be right outside. 

"I'll see you, Blake. Keep writing more songs. I loved the one you played the other night." 

_I played it for you._ Dies on his lips. "I will, thank you. Have fun on the other coast." His dimples pop on his face and she draws a small grateful smile on her lips. 

_  
  
_

His routine doesn't change much. He goes to work and then some days to the bar and others to a small gym near his apartment. He has been kind of seeing Martha, one of his bar friends. Nothing serious, just casual nights that never turn into days because either she leaves his place or he leaves hers. It's fun, uncomplicated and that's about all that he, and she, need right now. 

Two weeks go by fast and soon enough Gwen's car parks in front of the building. He takes her luggage and opens the door for her to go in first. 

“So, the east coast treated you well?” He asks as he presses the lift button. 

“It did, yeah. Business went well, so that’s always great.” In fact she and No Doubt had performed at 6 concerts in the two weeks and did two radio interviews in New York. It was weird to her that he had no clue of who she was, but calming at the same time. She didn’t have to be _the_ Gwen Stefani with him, she could only be Gwen and she enjoyed taking the ska-princess mask from time to time. “What about you?” 

“Nothing new here, same old me.” His dimples pop on his face making him look all kinds of adorable. 

“Wrote a new song?” He shakes his head. “Takes time.” It comes out before she can stop herself but he doesn’t seem intrigued nor catches the surprise on her face when the words come out of her mouth. “I guess.”

“Depends. Sometimes inspiration strikes and words flow as easy as having a conversation.” He explains as she thinks about how right he is. “Some others it’s hard and nothing rhymes or makes sense.”

The lift arrives and they both watch the doors open in front of them, “Need help with this?” He asks looking down at her stuff. 

She thinks about what to say, part of her wishes to say yes, but the other part of her is not too keen on the idea of opening her home to him. “No, thank you. It’s okay.”

“Alright. I’ll see you, then.”

_  
  
  
_

She walks into the bar with her face hidden under a beret and her blonde locks trapped under her bomber jacket. Sometimes she goes a little over the line with hiding because even though she’s this star, her band is still not _that_ well known in the commercial scene. Thankfully, the bar is not too crowded tonight, which makes it easy to find a table. She sits at the end of the room, but close to the right side of the small stage. She’s not quite sure if Blake will perform tonight, but she just wanted to leave her house for a while. She’s open to hearing any kind of music, but if it’s him, even better. 

She orders a Gin Tonic as a woman takes the stage with a guitarist and a drummer. She enjoys their folky performance quite a lot and she even bobs her head to some songs. When their set comes to an end there’s some minutes where the radio comes on as the band leaves the stage and the next artist gets ready to perform. When his tall frame appears on her line of vision she smiles to herself and takes another sip of her drink. He doesn't see her until he has finished up setting up his space and he has his guitar hanging off of his shoulders. His cheeks twitch up and his dimples appear on his face when he mouths a _hello._ She, of course, replies back and puts her thumbs up to wish him luck. 

Just like the first time she heard him sing, she enjoys his performance a lot. When it’s getting close to the end of his set, she thinks to herself how she’d like for him to perform his original so-

“Well, since this is the last one tonight, I’m going to sing a song I wrote a while ago.” He says as if he had read her mind. 

That night he walks her back home and to her surprise, and his, they hug goodbye.

_  
  
_

**Winter**

He wouldn’t exactly call this weather winter, but some part of him is happy that he doesn’t have to hide behind 3 layers of clothes to step outside. 

He has landed another bar gig the nights that he doesn’t play at the one next to where he works. He is starting to see some progress in his music career. People approach him whenever he finishes his sets and ask him if he has put any music out and he always shakes his head. _Not yet._

A friend of his knows a guy that has a small home studio where he records music for artists who are just getting started. He has a meeting with him next week, and hopefully, if it goes well, he will be able to have a semi-professional recording of a few covers and one or two original songs. 

Gwen has been quiet and travelling quite a lot. She says that work keeps her busy, but he thinks something else is bothering her. He doesn’t push it though. 

His relationship with Martha ended when he asked her to get serious and she told him she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the moment. Since they are in the same group of friends, it makes things a bit complicated and sometimes awkward, but he is not going to stop meeting his only friends because a girl turned him down. 

_No._

**Spring**

“I have something to show you.” Blake says when he sees her walk inside the building one Friday afternoon. “Hi,” He adds when he realises that he forgot to greet her first. 

“Good afternoon,” She replies walking up to him. 

He takes his iPod out of his jeans, “I want you to listen to this.” He hands her one earphone and then presses play as she waits for something to happen. 

She is not prepared when he hears his voice fill her years. Not only his voice, but a studio cut version of a song she recognises. 

She looks up at him and he nods in excitement. “Cool, huh?” He whispers. 

Her mouth opens in surprise, “Blake…” She covers it and then lets it slowly slide down her chin and neck as she puts her five sense on what she’s listening to. No more words are exchanged as they both listen to the studio version of his original song. When it comes to an end she stares at him as he waits for her to say something. “How-? This sounds amazing.”

“A friend of mine knows a guy that has a little studio. We recorded it on Monday.” He explains as he puts his iPod back inside his pocket. 

She jumps to hug him and he lets out an _oof_ sound at the sudden move, but he hugs her back. Taking in the moment, he lets his arms round her small frame and press her just a little closer to his body. After what feels like forever they pull away.

“Wow. That’s like so rad, Blake.” 

“Rad?” He chuckles at her choice of words. “I don't know if I'll do something with it yet but it's good to have a high quality version of a song I wrote."

“Yes, it is." She agrees. "I mean, it has to feel great."

“It looks like you know about music.” He notices. 

“I wouldn’t say I know a lot, but my dad is a bit of a freak, so there was always music growing up in my house.” 

Blake’s cheeks twitch up, “I’m trying to imagine a mini Gwen.”

“I was handful.” 

“Weren't we all?” 

“I have a feeling that you were a very calm kid.” 

Blake chuckles, “Let’s just say that the dimples worked well on my mum. Still do.”

“Got you out of a lot of trouble, huh?”

“Sometimes.” 

After a few more minutes of small talk, Gwen leaves because she has a dinner party to get ready for.

_  
  
_

**Summer**

She’s been thinking about telling him who she is ever since he shared his song with her, but part of her is scared that he will get mad at her for hiding it. Maybe not mad, but she’s afraid for things to get weird once he finds out. 

Summers in the city might be her favourite. There’s less people running around and everything seems to move at a slower pace. 

“You know,” She says when she walks inside the lobby, “I don’t think you have ever taken a day off since I met you.” 

Blake chuckles at her words as he stands up and meets her in the middle of the lobby, “I took some days for Christmas actually.” 

She nods, “But you should take some days to enjoy the summer weather.”

“I’m not a beach person.” She raises her eyebrows at him, “Rivers, lakes, I’m fine. Beaches, not so much.”

“One year in LA and you’re not a beach person? You’ve been hanging out with the wrong people.” She teases him. 

“Maybe.” He shrugs and then lets out a little laugh. “Lakes are so much better though. There’s no changing my mind.” 

“You’ll have to take me one day.” She teases again and he is left speechless. “I mean- Maybe just tell me where I can go and-”

“I don’t know any around here, but I’ll ask around and then we’ll see?” 

“Yeah, we’ll see.” She nods almost shyly, “I have to...” she trails off pointing up. 

“Sure, yes, go.” He babbles and then watches her walk slowly to the lifts, “Gwen?” She turns around to meet his eyes, “Just to make sure. You want to go to the lake with me?” He asks fidgeting with the ends of his vest. 

**Autumn**

He’s been thinking about it. Switching LA for Nashville.

Playing in bars is cool but it’s getting him nowhere, at least not where he wants to be. A friend of his says that Nashville is complicated, but at least country music is there. There’s producers and label people at all bars all the time, all he needs is a little bit of luck. 

He tells his mum one night on the phone as he walks back to his apartment after a performance. She encourages him to take the step. She has always been his number one supporter, so he’s not surprised when she tells him that it's a good idea. 

“You’re going to get wrinkles if you think so hard.” He looks up to find Gwen leaning over the counter of his workspace. She looks divine as always, but the black leader jacket and black beret she’s wearing today makes her look like a rock and roll icon. 

“Hey,” He draws a smile on his face and sits back on his chair.

“What’s worrying you?” She asks rounding his space to sit on the table. 

“Life.”

“Ha!” She snorts, “Welcome to the club. Want to talk about it?” 

Blake bites down his lower lip, “I think I should give music a real go.” She senses that he has more to say, so she waits, “I’ve been thinking about trying out my luck in Nashville. It’s the capital of country music while here no one really wants to listen to it.” He looks up to meet her eyes, “I’m also tired of this job, it’s not really bringing me much in terms of career development.”

She nods at him, “I know what you mean. And look, as much as I’ll miss walking in and out of here and talking to you, I think this change could be good for you. You’re an incredible musician and I’m sure that opportunities will start to rain on you there.” 

“You think so?” 

She nods, “You deserve the shot. You moved all the way here and got started. You play in two different bars and have written and recorded a song. That’s an accomplishment. Might look like a small one, but it’s actually huge. It’s a start.” 

“Are you sure you’re not working in the wrong industry? Music might be what’s for you, not fashion.”

Gwen’s breath hitches on her throat and she takes a deep breath in and then out. “Maybe one day. If you make it, I’ll be your manager.”

“Noted.” 

It becomes quiet for a few seconds, until Gwen breaks it, “When will you leave?”

He sighs, “I have to sort out a few things, but at the end of the month, probably, because of rent and stuff.” 

That’s in two weeks, Gwen thinks. _Dammit_.

  
  


The thought of coming clean with him about actually working in the music industry comes to her everytime she sees him. She thinks about all the ways it could go and for some reason it’s always a negative outcome. So she doesn’t tell him.

When his last day arrives, she gives him a notebook _to write your songs_ . He smiles down at her as she explains that she got the notebook at this really cute shop downtown and when she finishes the story he leans down and hugs her for the third time since they met _._ There’s something about taking her in his arms that feels right, it feels normal. Like she is what calms him down in between all the craziness.

She lingers on his arms as much as she can as she thinks about how much she’ll miss his presence. She also thinks about all the moments that they had to know each other and something always pulled them back. She feels bad for not getting to know him better, deeper. 

When it’s time to go, she opens the door for him, for a change, which causes a chuckle to leave his lips as he walks backwards to the street. 

“It was nice to meet you, Gwen.” He says fidgeting with his plaid shirt. 

“Yeah, same here. Who would have thought we’d actually hit it off, huh?” A nervous chuckle escapes her lips as she puts a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wish you all the best. Maybe in a few years I’ll see you sell out The Forum, who knows.” 

Blake snorts, “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

He slips his hands inside the pockets and then shrugs just a little bit as he tears his eyes away from hers for a second. 

"Would it be weird if I asked for your phone number? " He asks, almost afraid of her reply. 

"Not at all." She says taking of her phone. 

"I just realised I don't know your full name." Blake points out as he types down her first name. 

Gwen panics internally, "Renee." She says hoping that he just goes with it. 

"No I mean your surname." Blake comments. 

"That is it. Gwen Renee." 

"Oh, okay then. Has a nice ring to it."

"What about you?" She asks after she has written Blake. 

"Shelton."

"See, your name already screams star to me. "

With her phone number saved on his contacts and him in hers, they hug goodbye and then Blake walks away. He turns once to see her watching him and just this small gesture brings a smile to his face and hers. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?
> 
> I know this is not the most amazing thing I have ever written, but I thought I'd share it anyway. Let's see what happens to these two in this one :)


End file.
